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JOSE CAN WE SEE?

It’s been roughly two weeks since PawSox shortstop Jose Iglesias was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by 6’10 Andrew Brackman of Scranton-Wilkes Barre. It was a frightening moment as the 21 year old prospect crumpled to the ground after the fastball struck Jose in the back of his helmet. Iglesias hasn’t played since he suffered the concussion, but the native of Havana, Cuba is making strides on a daily basis. The slick-fielding infielder is taking ground balls and is just about ready to face live pitching. The irrepressible Iglesias was excited about his progress. “I feel great. I feel much better. I’m glad to take ground balls. Today I hit in the cage with Chili (PawSox hitting coach Chili Davis). I hit off the tee and did some soft toss. I feel much better.”

Baseball rules dictate that any player who suffers a concussion must be placed on the disabled list and cannot return until he passes a battery of tests. Manager Arnie Beyeler described it as an “Impact Test”. Iglesias was pleased with his results. “I did good. I took this test early in the year and this time, I did better. It’s really weird. It’s OK, I passed the test.”

Jose says that there are no lasting or lingering effects of his concussion. Shortly after the incident, he was experiencing pain and dizziness. “I am just a little tired. That’s because I’ve just started practicing. No, it’s been good.”

Iglesias freely admits that the incident threw a fright into him. He had never been hit in the head before. “It was scary. I saw the ball coming right at my face. It was scary, but I got lucky. Nothing serious. I’ll be alright”

While the inside of his head is making improvements, so has the outside, in my opinion. Iglesias, a handsome young man, had been sporting a mohawk style haircut. Perhaps, more accurately, a “faux-hawk.” Iglesias cleaned it up and looks a thousand times better. “No more mohawk”. Iglesias noted. When asked why, the reply was simple. “I want to look fresh.” I shared with him my opinion on the Mohawk, telling him he was better looking than that. His reply? Again, simple. “You’re right.” he laughed.

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